They urge Malaysians to be vigilant against detention without trial, especially at a time when many governments are using recent terrorist incidents, like the Sept 11 attacks in the US and the Bali bombings, to justify enacting such laws.

The 'Ops Lalang' crackdown in 1987 saw a total of 107 arrests and the temporary closure of three newspapers � English daily tabloid The Star, Malay tabloid Watan and Chinese broadsheet Sin Chew Jit Poh.

The ex-detainees strongly believe that if enactments or amendments of preventive detention laws are left unchecked, the governments will not only detain suspected terrorists but also those perceived to be anti-establishment.